Educational construction set



961 F. F. BASSETTI 3,003,260

EDUCATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SE7].

Filed llay l. 1959 FIG.| H62 INVEN TOR. FREDERICK E BASSETTI ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,003,260 EDUCATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SET Frederick F. Bassetti, 14401 SE. 55th, Bellevue, Wash. Filed May 1, 1959, Ser. No. 810,288 2 Claims. (CI. 35-72) The present invention relates to educational construction sets for forming various shapes and objects, and aims to provide a simple and economical arrangement whereby polygonal panels can be easily joined together along their side edges.

Other more particular objects and advantages will, together with these general objects, appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consisting in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a square panel embodying the present invention and with the fold or crease lines being shown by broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of an apex portion of an equilateral triangular panel made in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 3 is a top detail view of a joint between two of the square panels shown fragmentarily.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the joint taken as indicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of sample structures constructed under the teachings of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, it is seen that for purposes of example the present invention is shown applied to square and equilateral triangular panels 10-11, respectively. These panels are preferably formed from paper or cardboard stock, although it will be apparent from the following explanation of the invention that other materials are satisfactory.

Each square panel 10 has corner cutouts 12 dividing the periphery into congruent marginal lips 13. The inner longitudinal edges 14 of these lips are crease lines along which the lips are folded at dihedral angles to the panel proper, the size of each such angle depending upon the shape of the structure incorporating the particular panel and the location of the panel in such structure. It will be noted that the cutouts 12 are so shaped that the ends of the lips 13 are notched by pairs of edges 15 which form obtuse angles with the adjoining crease or fold lines 14. These pairs of lip notching edges 15 are separated by the bases or extreme inner edges 16 of the cutouts which thus have the effect in plan view of bevelling the corners of the panel proper. Preferably the mouth of each cutout 12 is flared by a pair of lead-in edges 17 which join respective outer longitudinal side edges 18 of the lips 13 by a common obtuse angle. Thus these lead-in edges 17 together with the notching edges 15 give to each of the ends of the lips 13 a tapered nose 19.

The function of the lips 13 and their noses 19 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-4 wherein two of the lips 13 of like panels 10 have been placed in abutting side-by-side relation. An elastic band 20, as for example, an ordinary rubber band having a relaxed length shorter than the fold lines 14, is thereupon stretched over the noses of these lips and released to seat in a tensioned state at the inner ends of the notching edges 15. In this seated position the tensioned elastic band is locked in place by the noses 19 at the ends of the abutting lips and serves to hold the respective side edges 14 of the panels proper together.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the apexes of the triangular panels 11 are also formed with cutouts, denoted 22, to

give marginal lips 23 having outer edges 28 and locking noses 29, and joining the panels proper along fold lines 24. These fold lines are given the same length as the corresponding dimensions 14 of the square panels 10. In fact, the lips 23 are made identical to the lips 13 in all respects by giving the cutouts 22 lead-in edges 27 and notching edges 25 which are the same in length and angular relationship as the edges 17, 15 of the cutouts 12. This is made possible by making the pair of angles between the inner edge 26 and the adjoining edges 25 of each cutout 22 sufliciently larger than the respective angles of the cutouts 12. In other words, except for this angle change, the cutouts 22 can be the same as the cutouts 12. Similarly, in the cases of other equilateral polygonal panels which could be used together with the panels 10-11 in accordance with the present invention, the said angles would correspondingly have to be made smaller.

It is believed apparent that a triangular panel 11 can be readily joined to a panel 10 by means of an elastic band 20 in the same manner as that previously described for joining a pair of the panels 10. An infinite number of objects can be made by thus joining various combinations of the panels 10-11 together. For example, in FIG. 5 three levels of panels have been joined as a model of a circus tent, the ground level consisting of square panels, the middle level having alternate square and triangular panels, and the peak of the roof being formed by triangular panels. FIG. 6 illustrates an interesting arrangement of polyhedrons which are formed and joined together by use of several of the panels 10-11, and elastic bands 20. The invention is a valuable educational tool for geometrical instruction since all of the Platonic and Archimedean solids can be readily constructed thereby along with other basic shapes such as towers, wheels, stars, etc. Design efiects can often be enhanced by using panels with various arrays of color thereon. Also, it is to be expressly understood that my novel arrangement for joining the panels can be used with polygonal panels which have more than four sides or which are not equilateral.

It is therefore seen that with nothing more than rubber bands and a set of my panels an endless number of different shapes and objects can be readily constructed. In this regard, it will be noted that the lips 13 not only provide for locking of the panels together by the rubber bands, but also add strength and rigidity to an object constructed by the panels.

The lips 13 are shown in FIG. 5-6 as being folded outwardly relative to the constructed objects, but it is to be understood that they can also be folded inwardly. In this case, if the object were a polyhedron as distinguished from an open ended object such as in FIG. 5, the last panel installed would perforce have to have its lips 13 folded outwardly to enable the respective rubber bands to be stretched thereover.

The advantages of the invention, it is thought, will have been clearly understood from the foregoing detailed description of the illustrated preferred embodiments. Minor changes will suggest themselves and may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, wherefore it is my intention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexed claims be given a scope fully commensurate with the broadest interpretation to which the employed language admits.

What I claim is:

1. For an educational set, a plurality of polygonal panels having along each of their marginal edges matching elongated marginal lips which are foldable at dihedral angles to the panels proper along fold lines, said fold lines being of the same length and being separated at M lends by whom in .131; :pexas 0111M ela, said Manual Gull in the me am: patent cutouts forming noses at the ends of said lips, the nclalses UNITED STATES PATENTS on each lip being spaced apart a distance greater 1: an th length of said fold lines, and endless elastic means as; gh ins rfilaxed length s n thy: the ength at said 5 1292383 wheel; 1919 inid lines and stretchable long1tudmally 0W9; 1h: noges 1'880'130 1932 at selected lips placed face to face jar 1m said seloctcd lips together along their mm 24161-5 1936 .2. The structure of claim 1 in whiah at mast two of FGREWN iATENTs said panels have difierent numhersm aids. 10 1,152,813 France Sept. 9, 1957 

